Hi Sarah started flower farming on a small scale this year and used Charles dowding no dig method which really works. Even reduces bindweed to once a week pulling a handful of weeds here and there. It definitely works and will bring your poly tunnel back into full use again. A very mixed flower season so far …..we’ve had less than 40% of our summer rainfall but that’s life as a farmer 🤗 flowers or otherwise Hope the dried flowers go well, trying some too. Looking forward to trying to use them in Autumn and can’t wait to see how you get on too. Liz
Despite your pest damage your farm is looking fabulous. You have an amazing variety to pick from which is testament to your growing skills. You are pretty hard on yourself considering all the other projects you have been doing and the filming and editing too. I use the Richard Perkins bed method as seen on the Ridgedale farm chanel. Others that use it are Josh Sattin of Sattin hill farm and he also set up Raleigh City farm. Basically, pull the weeds, cover with silage tarp to eliminate light then shape the size of beds with cardboard and compost (apro 4 - 6inchs) then fill between with wood chips. Josh Sattin is a master at no dig farming and is super easy to watch him explain stuff. In your situation you could use aged muck with a compost layer on top and form paths with used stable shavings. Bare in mind odours if inside though😯 These form permanent beds and the only weeding needed is of any flowers that drop seed and they are usually very easy. It's how I grow and have 20 x 10m beds and building more now. I truly envy your manure heap!!
Think about introducing a tarp as well for the high tunnel, if you can get the beds into zones/strips start with section ‘1’ and bury it with compost. I’d then after the compost application tarp the bed (in case the weeds still try to make a break for it through the cardboard and compost) alternatively Instead of starting organic mulch (website) sells biodegradable weed membranes made from corn starch so you could put that down on top as a third layer of weed suppression on all the beds instead of the tarp.
My tunnel beds do have tarp (weed membrane) on them but the weeds grow in the holes that I burned for the plants. Thistles have come up from underground runners too. They’ll do anything to grow!!
Might be good to leave some of the penstemon- I have the same variety I think and when it goes to seed it's like a spire of berry-like seed pods. I love it.
I had to wake up half an hour early to watch before going to work! That means your flower farm is right up there behind my family, coffee and….well, that says it all. Lol Totally worth it! It looks amazing! I’m so very happy for you!!!!
In your Tunnel, using cardboard / compost covering works great to supress a weed seed base, I get wonderful results for veg production in that method. Then in future years just top up with compost. One note is that be careful of weed seeds in the compost. In my Chicken bedding compost I have a big Millet seed problem, but this is off-set by the extra fertility :-) Great update thanks
The glimpse in the studio was lovely, the fields are as well. Your answer for the weeds in the tunnel sounds like what Charles Dowding does in his no dig tunnels. I would think if you top it off in spring before planting you should have luck keeping the weeds down. Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
@@bloomandgray Charles did have a video of his flowers and said he uses the same no dig method for those as well. He just started a new herb garden, maybe you've already seen that.?
Great to see you back. It must be heart breaking when all your hard work is eaten by slugs, snails and rabbits but you still have lots of good looking material. I'm impressed with your dill and was interested to see the lavatera as I've just bought seeds from Chiltern seeds, pink and white and hope to start some off and over winter them. I grow flowers for cutting at my allotment and I'm drying some too and hope to make a dried flower wreath, inspired by the beautiful summer one you made in a previous video.We're always hopeful aren't we? Good luck with the rest of the year.
Loved your tour, thanks for sharing. I use cardboard to smoother weeds with a thick layer bark on top , works really well. You might be able to get the bark in bulk from a local arborist for really cheap or even free to fill your polytunnel.
Hi 👋 you mentioned weeds in your video and I saw plenty of chenopodium growing around. There is an ornamental variety of chenopodium called strawberry spinach. Also that wall would be perfect for clematis and other climbers :-)
I’m so sorry the flowers are not doing great this year. My plants are not doing as great as last year either. But congrats on growing Nigella! It’s so unique and beautiful. And it’s my first year growing it successfully too 😉
It is so good to see so many gorgeous flowers blooming!! I've only just started getting into growing flowers, I hope one day to have a place like yours! Keep up the awesome work, I love seeing your content xx
My first time growing flowers this year so don't have much to go on but lots of the plants that I expect to be taller have remained smaller but my sweetpeas have been the tallest I've ever managed. I definitely need to invest in some perennials as that's definitely something I'm lacking. My much smaller polly tunnel is full of weeds many of which found their way through from below ground. I'm going to clear it out and then let any weeds germinate then burn them all of. Compost this year has been super tricky to source and the quality is so variable unfortunately I think the rise in no dig is driving compost demand up and driving quality down especially when it take a few years to establish your own compost.
Everything looks great! We have 66 inches of rain per year usually, which is a lot, but this we've had even more, & so many of my crops have rotted. Most of my dahlias, my dusty Miller, feverfew, carnations. I still have LOTS doing great though, that I'm thankful for. & luckily this is year 1 flower farming for me, so I don't have to rely on it for income at least.
Oh no!! It seems everyone has a problem of one extreme or another. It’s been so hard the last few years and it seems to be getting worse all the time. Hopefully we can learn techniques to help us with the extremes!
Looking forward to all the upcoming videos U suggested, especially the flower drying. I really want to see how well the artichoke dry because I'm going to try drying them aswell when our Summer rolls around. Love all the content it's great just seeing your day to day life on the flower farm 😊
Your flower farm is looking great. Producing so much! Have you watched Charles Dowding's videos? (no till) Sounds exactly like what you were describing for the poly tunnel.
Yes I do most of my beds no till here and my polytunnel has never been dug either. I’m just wondering if adding an extra huge layer of mulch will work to smother weed seeds 😁
A HUGE assortment of flowers you have, I'm in awe! Would love to know more about the flowers you're drying there in the workshop. What will you use them for? Also, what temp do you keep the workshop at?
@@bloomandgray That's good idea.. I have grown Bishops children from seed this year, best seed grown dahlia I've ever grown. They are single flowered but amazing colours against the chocolate coloured foliage. Not sure if they be suitable for your needs.. It's been an awful summer even down here in Wiltshire couple days of sun then massive rain falls. Lavatera the seed grown ones be knocked all over the place. My biggest problem in garden this year has been the foxes digging all over the place, even the new seeded lawn didn't escape them.. I hope we all get few days of decent weather. It's been tough summer following a very cold spring.. Take care..
This is great 💛. Did you always use the plastic cloth to grow in (sorry can’t think of the name right now)? We are on our 2nd year (in Australia) and bracing ourselves for the weeds 😫.
@@bloomandgray we think it will attract snakes here :(. And our climate is so hot we weren’t sure if it might also fry our plants! We should trial a row and see. Thanks for your reply :)
Yes it is, it looks great. I sent a picture of it to hardy eucalyptus Hilary (whose website I quoted in my video) and she said they looked great so I’m pleased with the results!
@@bloomandgray thank you for replying. I did notice irrigation pipes in a video after I commented. I'm taking so many notes from your videos for my future flower farm up here in North Northumberland. I'm getting frustrated not having land yet but practicing in my limited space allotment. Final question (for now haha!) What's your favourite soap for washing your hands after working all day? I'm finding my hands drying up badly with regular handwash.
Hi Sarah started flower farming on a small scale this year and used Charles dowding no dig method which really works. Even reduces bindweed to once a week pulling a handful of weeds here and there. It definitely works and will bring your poly tunnel back into full use again. A very mixed flower season so far …..we’ve had less than 40% of our summer rainfall but that’s life as a farmer 🤗 flowers or otherwise Hope the dried flowers go well, trying some too. Looking forward to trying to use them in Autumn and can’t wait to see how you get on too. Liz
Wow very beautiful flowers and your garden 👌👌👌💕💕💕💗💗💗💖💖💖💖
Despite your pest damage your farm is looking fabulous. You have an amazing variety to pick from which is testament to your growing skills.
You are pretty hard on yourself considering all the other projects you have been doing and the filming and editing too.
I use the Richard Perkins bed method as seen on the Ridgedale farm chanel. Others that use it are Josh Sattin of Sattin hill farm and he also set up Raleigh City farm. Basically, pull the weeds, cover with silage tarp to eliminate light then shape the size of beds with cardboard and compost (apro 4 - 6inchs) then fill between with wood chips. Josh Sattin is a master at no dig farming and is super easy to watch him explain stuff.
In your situation you could use aged muck with a compost layer on top and form paths with used stable shavings. Bare in mind odours if inside though😯
These form permanent beds and the only weeding needed is of any flowers that drop seed and they are usually very easy. It's how I grow and have 20 x 10m beds and building more now. I truly envy your manure heap!!
Think about introducing a tarp as well for the high tunnel, if you can get the beds into zones/strips start with section ‘1’ and bury it with compost. I’d then after the compost application tarp the bed (in case the weeds still try to make a break for it through the cardboard and compost) alternatively Instead of starting organic mulch (website) sells biodegradable weed membranes made from corn starch so you could put that down on top as a third layer of weed suppression on all the beds instead of the tarp.
My tunnel beds do have tarp (weed membrane) on them but the weeds grow in the holes that I burned for the plants. Thistles have come up from underground runners too. They’ll do anything to grow!!
The alpacas look so cute with their new haircuts 😁💜
Looking forward to the workshop video.
Might be good to leave some of the penstemon- I have the same variety I think and when it goes to seed it's like a spire of berry-like seed pods. I love it.
I had an inkling about this! Im sure someone told me about that once, so im keeping them on for now!
I had to wake up half an hour early to watch before going to work! That means your flower farm is right up there behind my family, coffee and….well, that says it all. Lol Totally worth it! It looks amazing! I’m so very happy for you!!!!
Wow Rebecca what a compliment!! Thank you!!
In your Tunnel, using cardboard / compost covering works great to supress a weed seed base, I get wonderful results for veg production in that method. Then in future years just top up with compost. One note is that be careful of weed seeds in the compost. In my Chicken bedding compost I have a big Millet seed problem, but this is off-set by the extra fertility :-) Great update thanks
For me cart board and compost on top realy helped! So i would say go for it! I love your farm and your boutique stile
Alpacas- fun!
The glimpse in the studio was lovely, the fields are as well. Your answer for the weeds in the tunnel sounds like what Charles Dowding does in his no dig tunnels. I would think if you top it off in spring before planting you should have luck keeping the weeds down. Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
Thank you, well I’m going to give it a go and see if it works anyway.
@@bloomandgray
Charles did have a video of his flowers and said he uses the same no dig method for those as well. He just started a new herb garden, maybe you've already seen that.?
Great to see you back. It must be heart breaking when all your hard work is eaten by slugs, snails and rabbits but you still have lots of good looking material. I'm impressed with your dill and was interested to see the lavatera as I've just bought seeds from Chiltern seeds, pink and white and hope to start some off and over winter them. I grow flowers for cutting at my allotment and I'm drying some too and hope to make a dried flower wreath, inspired by the beautiful summer one you made in a previous video.We're always hopeful aren't we? Good luck with the rest of the year.
Loved your tour, thanks for sharing. I use cardboard to smoother weeds with a thick layer bark on top , works really well. You might be able to get the bark in bulk from a local arborist for really cheap or even free to fill your polytunnel.
Hi 👋 you mentioned weeds in your video and I saw plenty of chenopodium growing around. There is an ornamental variety of chenopodium called strawberry spinach. Also that wall would be perfect for clematis and other climbers :-)
Swoon! So many lovely blooms! 😍
LOVE YOUR FLOWER FARM ❤ Thank you for the tour! Linda in Canada 🇨🇦
I'm a big fan of using cardboard mulch for weed killing in my garden
I’m so sorry the flowers are not doing great this year. My plants are not doing as great as last year either. But congrats on growing Nigella! It’s so unique and beautiful. And it’s my first year growing it successfully too 😉
I think it’s been a tough year for every one!
loved the tour. there are so many varieties i’ve never heard of.
It is so good to see so many gorgeous flowers blooming!! I've only just started getting into growing flowers, I hope one day to have a place like yours! Keep up the awesome work, I love seeing your content xx
Thank you Bec, good luck to you xx
My first time growing flowers this year so don't have much to go on but lots of the plants that I expect to be taller have remained smaller but my sweetpeas have been the tallest I've ever managed. I definitely need to invest in some perennials as that's definitely something I'm lacking. My much smaller polly tunnel is full of weeds many of which found their way through from below ground. I'm going to clear it out and then let any weeds germinate then burn them all of. Compost this year has been super tricky to source and the quality is so variable unfortunately I think the rise in no dig is driving compost demand up and driving quality down especially when it take a few years to establish your own compost.
Looks fab! X
Everything looks great! We have 66 inches of rain per year usually, which is a lot, but this we've had even more, & so many of my crops have rotted. Most of my dahlias, my dusty Miller, feverfew, carnations. I still have LOTS doing great though, that I'm thankful for. & luckily this is year 1 flower farming for me, so I don't have to rely on it for income at least.
Oh no!! It seems everyone has a problem of one extreme or another. It’s been so hard the last few years and it seems to be getting worse all the time. Hopefully we can learn techniques to help us with the extremes!
Looking forward to all the upcoming videos U suggested, especially the flower drying. I really want to see how well the artichoke dry because I'm going to try drying them aswell when our Summer rolls around.
Love all the content it's great just seeing your day to day life on the flower farm 😊
So glad you enjoyed it. I’m hoping the artichokes dry well too. Cut lots more yesterday to hang up 😁
The garden is stunning! Will you do a video on wedding bouquets?
Probably not.. I don’t make wedding bouquets any more x
Your flower farm is looking great. Producing so much! Have you watched Charles Dowding's videos? (no till) Sounds exactly like what you were describing for the poly tunnel.
Yes I do most of my beds no till here and my polytunnel has never been dug either. I’m just wondering if adding an extra huge layer of mulch will work to smother weed seeds 😁
A HUGE assortment of flowers you have, I'm in awe! Would love to know more about the flowers you're drying there in the workshop. What will you use them for? Also, what temp do you keep the workshop at?
After the lambs ear you mention the gyoms ? . Can you tell me the name of it please . Is the orange flower
My dahlias from tubers haven't done well too Sarah. But the seed grown ones been fabulous..
Oh really! I grew lots of seed grown last year but I didn’t like any of them!! I may try and save some seed from my tuber plants this year
@@bloomandgray That's good idea.. I have grown Bishops children from seed this year, best seed grown dahlia I've ever grown. They are single flowered but amazing colours against the chocolate coloured foliage. Not sure if they be suitable for your needs.. It's been an awful summer even down here in Wiltshire couple days of sun then massive rain falls. Lavatera the seed grown ones be knocked all over the place. My biggest problem in garden this year has been the foxes digging all over the place, even the new seeded lawn didn't escape them.. I hope we all get few days of decent weather. It's been tough summer following a very cold spring.. Take care..
How about transforming the poly tunnel into a no dig area and starting of with carport and compost?
The polytunnel is already no dig and always has been.. just seem to get an abundance of weeds every single year!
Have you thought about keeping duck to tackle the slug issue
Did you tarp the Dahlias you left in the ground? Am hoping to leave mine in the field. Just bit nervous of losing the whole lot
I cut my daisies back a few weeks before you did, I haven't gotten a second flush yet. Any tips for Phlox lasting longer in the vase?
Do you save seeds from those flowers/ foliage that go to seed so that you can use those seeds for planting the next season?
I tend not to unless the seed is very expensive or hard to get hold of.
Can I ask you if you pinch asters and phlox when they are young? I know snapdragons, and I pinch dahlias also.
Hi Trudy, no I wouldn’t punch those x
This is great 💛. Did you always use the plastic cloth to grow in (sorry can’t think of the name right now)? We are on our 2nd year (in Australia) and bracing ourselves for the weeds 😫.
Yes I always use it now. I manage about 1/2 acre on my own so I don’t have time for all the weeding. The weed membrane has helped massively!
@@bloomandgray we think it will attract snakes here :(. And our climate is so hot we weren’t sure if it might also fry our plants! We should trial a row and see. Thanks for your reply :)
Is that the eucalyptus you coppiced? Looks like it’s doing well, I wanted to see your results before I cut mine.
Yes it is, it looks great. I sent a picture of it to hardy eucalyptus Hilary (whose website I quoted in my video) and she said they looked great so I’m pleased with the results!
👍👍👍👍👍
How do you irrigate in the long summer days?
I have a stand pipe in one of my fields and irrigation in the other, some things aren’t irrigated but do fine, it doesn’t often get too hot
@@bloomandgray thank you for replying. I did notice irrigation pipes in a video after I commented. I'm taking so many notes from your videos for my future flower farm up here in North Northumberland. I'm getting frustrated not having land yet but practicing in my limited space allotment. Final question (for now haha!) What's your favourite soap for washing your hands after working all day? I'm finding my hands drying up badly with regular handwash.
What variety of mallow are those?
it’s silver cup and Mont Blanc x
@@bloomandgray ty!
What was the white flower shown just before the sedum? X
It was perennial phlox x
are those Donkeys i hear in the background?
Yes we have lots of donkeys here on the farm 😁
Where’s Hector🐖
He’s been digging up the lawn today Daisee so he’s in the bad books 😂